Five Ways to Get Better Hair Color

Coloring your hair is a great way to refresh your look. The more you understand it, the more control you’ll have over the results. Our friends at Madison Reed have five easy tips to get and keep better hair color.

1. Just the Roots

Permanent hair color works by opening your hair cuticle, lifting out the current color, and depositing a new one. If you repeat this process over and over on the same hair, it will begin to lose protein and become more porous. This affects how your hair color applications turn out: porous hair will take on a lot of color easily, but not hold on to it well. If your hair gets really dark when you first color and then fades very quickly, you have porous hair.

The best way to prevent this is by only coloring your roots, the new hair growth, after your initial application of a new color or shade. That way, you will avoid reprocessing hair that has already been colored. Wait until you can see a clear band of outgrowth for a more accurate application, about every 3-4 weeks. Overlapping when touching up can cause variations in color. If you’re worried about your roots showing between applications, use Root Touch Up to get great color coverage that lasts from shampoo to shampoo.

To refresh color on your lengths and ends, pull permanent color through your hair every fourth or fifth coloring session. Or you can refresh with semi-permanent color, which corrects tone and acts as a long-lasting stain on hair that has already been opened.

2. Gloss it Up

Semi-permanent color, also known as hair gloss, is a beautiful hair multi-tasker! You can also use clear gloss to deep condition and add light-reflecting shine, or tinted shades to brighten faded color and add shine, tone and dimension. Check out all the new Color Reviving Gloss from Madison Reed – available in 8 great shades.

3. Use it or Lose It

I know what you’re thinking: will I have to throw away all that extra hair color if I only color my roots? This is very important: only mix the developer and color that you are using immediately. Do not keep any color that has been mixed with developer.

When they are mixed together, it sets off a chemical reaction. Mixed color will not be effective, and it can also be dangerous to store.

Now for the good news. Unmixed, both developer and color have a longer shelf life: 3 years unopened and 6 months after package has been opened. Just be sure to keep them separate until you’re ready to use them!

4. Cut the Harsh Chemicals

A healthier formula makes all the difference when frequently coloring your hair. Harsh chemicals damage hair, making it stripped, dry, brittle, and dull. Color that is free of ammonia, resorcinol, and PPD is much easier on the scalp and hair shaft. That’s why theMadison Reed Radiant Color Kit is free of those harmful ingredients and packed with nourishing elements that repair and strengthen hair, leaving it soft, shiny, and bouncy.

5. Protect Your Color

Picture your hair color as physical pigments that need help to stay in your hair. Madison Reed’s nourishing color enhancingShampoo and Conditioner Set is designed to extend the life of hair color by being more gentle and healthier for your hair. This enables the color pigments to stay longer because they’re not being stripped out of your hair. Over time, using haircare that repairs and protects your hair also helps it become less porous (remember my explanation at the top?). All of these things work together to help your hair look and feel better the more you use healthier products!